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HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Goderich Signal-Star, 1980-03-27, Page 47page 1;1 Questions and answers.,. • from page 10 -, • by at physician. All women should practise $gular - He usually charges an excessive fee for each. deaths ahead of female. 'Figures provided by Statist cs_ breast self-examination (BSS) • .In this way early treatment and recomrhends -extensive treatment. .. � _ ,� . . �., � . �.�., � �3,�.��►g��„i�.l�ef�i3i:,..1�:�'1t8t1li�ed.�;,,I,.�seR,..- .��li•����,e,.s�,t ,�t�u, li �t,� ,and iest;�nuo 183 - support his claims; r unmarried worsen? .- 30. Do uterine fibroids ever become cancer? - He discourages or refuses consultationn with No general statemennt impossible, A single woman is, Only rarely dothey undergo a malignant change. reputable physicians, claiming to be persecuteld by the more likely to have cancer of the breast than a 31. Do freckles ever turn into cancer? "medical trusts". married -woman who nurses her children. However, . No. Freckles do not�t'ilrn into cancer. However, - There is no substantial evidence that his "cured:",' cancer of the cervix (neck of .the womb). is found more there is a type of cancer which originates usually in 'a. patients ever had Cancer in the first place. frequently in married women who have borne . mole of the type which is flat and dark brown or black - Few quacks are medically► trained, therefore they children. in colour. When such moles are found on the palms of have no fundamental knowledge about cancer. 22, Are all tumours cancer? the hands, the soles of the feet, or on the external . - They cause the patient to lose valuable time that No. The word "tumour" really means . a lump of genitalia, -they should be reported to a physician should,be spent in getting proper treatment. swelling caused by a localized abnormal growth of because in such locations, ., there is danger of - The pastes, medicines and techniques used by cells. Those growths which are harmless are called Malignancy. quacks have no value in curing cancer. benign". Those cells which infiltrate other tissues or 32. Do haemorrhoids ever turn into cancer? 48. Is cancer curable only in its early stages? spread to other parts of the body are "malignant", i.e. No. Haemorrhoids are enlarged veins in the rectal As already pointed out, the results of treatment of cancerous. region. However, 'because of the fact that cancer is cancer are likely to be better if the cancer is treated 23. How can we tell if a growth is cancer? occasionally found in the tissue above the while it is still small and localized. Nevertheless, the Only your doctor can . determine if a growth f's haemorrhoids, "bleeding ' piles" should be examined fact that., a cancer has been present for a long time cancer. It is determined partly by' the way it behaves .by a doctor to determine whether cancer is present. does not necessarily mean that cure is out of the in the body, and partly by its appearance under the 33. Is rectal bleeding a.sign of cancer? question. Many such cases have been successfully microscope-._ _____�.,� ._ . In the majority of cases the appearance of bright treated. In other words, it is never too late to seek 24. Are cancers in men and women different? red blood from the rectum is a sign of piles, but ' it experttreatmentfor this disease— - . The same types of cancer may occur in both sexes, should be reported to a doctor because occasionally' 49. Mow long will an untreated cancer patient live? apart from those which occur in the reproductive this may be the first sign of cancer of the large bowel location, This illtype difand er naiture of the cancer. th each 25. Isal and with the organs. 50. How much cancer is preventable? Pan is o u early an early of cancer? A recent authoritative estimate states that up, to 80 Pom i cnotase usually c early sa n t a l t c stager; but percent of all cancers could be prevented if all existing in some cases, one, c .causes pain e v late c. Th when knowledge and experience could be brought to bear on it is invading bone, compressing nerves; etc. The fact P that a lump, i.s painless is no reason for assuming it is h i the problem. Some forms of prevention involve the not malignant. o a e elimination of specific industrial hazards, such as 28. Is there any harm in delaying the discovery and h those associated with certain mining operations and treatment of cancer? pp exposure to various chemicals. But in the main, Yes. The treatment of cancers while they are still g prevention requires positive . action on the part of. the small is nodally more successful than treatment of d d' h d' 1 whole population throughout their lives. - l"arge or extensive growths. Postponing treatment of g 51, Is cigarette smoking really a cause of cancer? cancer, or delay in going to a'doctor„may decrease ? Yes. There continues to be an alarming increase in One's chances of recovery. the number of cases of lung cancer in Canada. 27. What should a person do who thinks he may have Unfortunately, this is one otthe most difficult forms of cancer? . g cancer t.o cure it is fatal in 95 percent of cases. In He• should go to his doctor at once. If he does not h 1931, when Canada's population was about 9,000,000, have a personal physician, he should go to a hospital there were 140 deaths from lung cancer in men and 67 clinic or cancer clinic. deaths from lung cancer in women. By 1967,. this had 28. Are periodic health examinations of any value in increased to 3,700 deaths in men and 618 in women, the detection of cancer? di d? although the population had little more than doubled. Yes, afew cancers may be discovered during such This huge -r-ise closely parallels the increase in examinations .at a relatively early stage of their h 1 laboratory cigarette consumption. Another interesting statistic is ,. development when cure is much more likely than it t' ddt t this : 25 years -ago, one in every 17 deaths in Canada might be later on. - from all cancers was due to lung cancer; today the 29. Are lumps in the breasts likely to be cancer? h rate'is about one in every 5. The vast majority of breast lamps, about 85 percent - These lung cancer deaths occurred almost entirely are entirely benign, in -.other, words, nothing to cause radiation destruction of the growth, or chemotherapy - in cigarette smokers. . • . concern, and they will be recognized as such quickly the use of drugs. Various combinations of these - Death rates •increase -in -direct--proportion •-to--the •- _. - C, fitterer'” luxe arl0,klows . 9aar 9? dale ,_ mals nb Female -•14,626; Total cancer deaths - $3,069. changes should be cancer,, a sooner they are treated- instead of reports in reputable scient f�urn^a s to 21. Is there Here cancer among married or among expertly, the better. or rectum. 34. Is vaginal bleeding a sign of cancer? .. Normal menstrual bleedingis of no significance, but bleeding which occurs between the periods, or after the menopause, merits medicalinvestigation. 35. Is bleeding or discharge from the nipples a sign of cancer? - The majorityof women who have a discharge from the nipple do not have cancer: When, however, the discharge is bloody,it maybe a warningof cancer. In all cases of nipple bleeding or discharge, medical advice should be sought. 36. Does blood in the urine always indicate cancer No. but its presence indicates something is wrong. A careful examination is essential. 37. How can we diagnose cancer of the stomach? The • best method is byx-rays. The outline ofthe interior of the stomach, when filled with a dense substance such as barium,.will often give clues as to the presence of cancer. 38. How mayother internal cancers be diagnosed? A study of the patients history is useful, in addition to a careful and complete physical and examination, aided by x-ray studies, specialtests, etc. 39. How is cancer treated? There is no one treatment for cancer. The most common methods are surgical removal, x-ray or This informative publication is brought to you with the kind cooperation of the following Clinton Community Credit Union CLINTON The First Canadian Bank Bank of Montreal CLINTON SIV I til G R A M Daffodil Tea MARCH 29 Town Hall - 2-5 p.m. Tuesday, April 8 - Blitz methods may be used at different stages. Treatment of cancer is a complex'subject, requiring the attention of medical specialists. • 40. What is the difference in act'on of x-rays, radium and cobalt . 60 on cancer tissue? There is no essential difference. These are all dif- ferent methods of delivering radiation which can destroy cancer cells. 41. How is radium used? Radium in hollow needless is inserted into the can- cerous growth, into the tissue surrounding it, or both, and is removed after treatment is finished. Radium in a suitable container is sometimes... placedin contact. with cancer of the skin. In larger quantities it may be used at a distance from the body, the rays passing through an opening in the container into the cancerous growth. - 42. How is cobalt . 60 used? Cobalt -60 is a powerful agent used in the treatment of some forms of cancer. It becomes radioactive and gives off a strong gamma ray similar to an x-ray. It may be mounted in a heavy container and used like an x-ray machine. It may also be placed in needles and used like radium. - .43.... D. .,surgical_..or_.,radiation treatments spread cancer? No.. Treatment does not cause spread of cancer but, not infrequently, cancer spreads in spite of treatment. In most such instances the •spread has probably oc- curred before the treatment was applied. • 44. Can the spread of cancer be stopped or retarded temporarily? ' • - Yes. Cancer of the breast and prostate have. responded to treatment with hormones. Certain types of leukaemia and some malignant diseases of the lymph glands have beet retarded in their growth by other `special chemical compounds. While complete cures by hormones and drugs still seem out of reach, there is hope that more effective chemical compounds will be developed. Constant research is going on in this phase of cancer treatment. 45. Is there any known serum cure for cancer? Experimentation is taking place in this area but no serum has yet been discovered which has any reliable effect on -cancer. 46. Can cancer be "drawn out" with a salve? No. Substances advertised as drawing out cancer or otherwise curing it belong to the group of improper treatments...known as unproven remedies and should never be used.. 47. How do quacks differ from reputable physicians? - A quack generally promises a cure for cancer. - His treatment is usually secret and available only from himself and his associates. number of cigarettes smoked. - Death rates from all other forms of cancer, as well as from other diseases such as heart conditions and emphysema, are much higher among cigarette smokers than among non-smokers. 52. is there an indication that smoking is becoming less popular? Yes. There are several encouraging signs that people are payingless attention to the glib advertising of the cigarette interests. . - Amongst those over the ag`e -of i'5 only 2 out of 5 smoke cigarettes regularly. - Amongst doctors, who are the group most familiar with the scientific evidence, there has been a major decline in the percentage of those who smoke. - Amongst airline pilots whose livelihood depends on keeping in top physical condition, there has been -a sharp decline in the number of cigarette smokers. - Amongst students attending Canadian schools there- are fewer smokers among those with the best academic standing and among students who par- ticipate in sports and other extra -curricular activities.